Elmwood man says his daughter gave no warning before opening fire

ELMWOOD — A man who was shot by his daughter Tuesday morning told police he had no warning their encounter was about to become violent before two blasts of gunfire in the driveway.

Gene Kennedy, 79, suffered a gunshot wound to the back about 7:50 a.m. outside the home he shared with his wife and daughter, 54-year-old Debra McCawley, at 9406 N. Cedar Bluff Road.

The .25-caliber bullet entered near his left shoulder blade and lodged somewhere beneath his left arm, according to a police report on the incident. Kennedy was treated at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria after being flown there by LifeFlight helicopter and released the same day.

McCawley, meanwhile, was found dead hours later in Knox County near Maquon. Preliminary pathology reports from an autopsy performed Wednesday indicate she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to Knox County Coroner Mark Thomas.

Kennedy told police he had asked his daughter to follow him to drop off his vehicle with a mechanic Tuesday morning. They were walking out to their respective vehicles when he turned to ask her one more time if she was going to meet him there.

She was holding a pistol that had been in a drawer in the house in both hands, aiming at him when she entered his field of view, according to the report.

Kennedy said the first shot rang out just as he began to react. That bullet struck him in the back. He ran as a second shot fired. It missed him.

McCawley got in her car and drove off after he fled, Kennedy told police. Less than 12 hours later, at 6:53 p.m., she was pronounced dead.

Matt Buedel can be reached at 686-3154 or mbuedel@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @JournoBuedel. Gatehouse Media Illinois reporter Nick Ostdick contributed to this report.